Cable/Sat Prep

[Jacksonrc]

Hey all,

I just bought a Keystone Laredo 32RS. I live in it full time and have some installers coming this week to set up satellite tv and internet.

I have 2 ports on the back of the trailer. One for Cable, one that says Satellite prep. After reading o line, there are apparently spitters and boosters located somewhere???

There is a box located in the bedroom (see photo) on the inside of where the two ports are located. Is this where the splitters/booster is? How do I access it ?

Or are they located elsewhere?

[LHaven]

The booster is the plate with the little switch you push or slide to turn the little LED on so you get TV antenna reception at all. The splitter may be there or may be somewhere else entirely... sorry, don't know the layout of your particular model.

[Jacksonrc]

The booster is the plate with the little switch you push or slide to turn the little LED on so you get TV antenna reception at all. The splitter may be there or may be somewhere else entirely... sorry, don't know the layout of your particular model.

I don’t have anything remotely like this anywhere on my trailer. There is a hand crank in the cieling that I can use to adjust the antenna. No LEDs though

[rhagfo]

Typically, the Satellite Prep is simply a single cable from the entry point to the location where the main TV set is located. The cable connection goes to the booster location, likely in the same area as the cable for the satellite terminates.

[Wyldfire]

Looking for something like the top right plate. Coax connector. Cigarette lighter and little switch that turns LED light on and off.

[Wyldfire]

It can be in a cupboard, closet or just on the wall like mine. Splitter can be behind this plate.

[Jacksonrc]

It can be in a cupboard, closet or just on the wall like mine. Splitter can be behind this plate.

I found a splitter behind the plate near the old TV above the furnace. Still can’t find the booster.

[Wyldfire]

It is a tiny button on a plate that can be hard to see. That when pressed turns on a tiny led on some plate. Every one I have had have the cigarette lighter plug in.

[Jacksonrc]

It is a tiny button on a plate that can be hard to see. That when pressed turns on a tiny led on some plate. Every one I have had have the cigarette lighter plug in.

Okay, I have looked in every cupboard and on every wall. I pulled the wall plate off of the connection in the old entertainment center found it had a line running to the “in” side of the splitter and two lines running from the “out”.....so effectively a splitter to join two signals together??? Never seen this before. Anyways, those two wires go into the ceiling.

The wall plate in the bedroom has one wire disapearing into the ceiling.

Thoughts?

[wiredgeorge]

I don’t have anything remotely like this anywhere on my trailer. There is a hand crank in the cieling that I can use to adjust the antenna. No LEDs though


The antenna has a powered booster. There will be a coax connector near where your TV is supposed to mount or sit and there will be a little button in that area that when pushed, causes a green light to come on. This is the power to the small inline amp for your antenna which is buried somewhere you can't see. If the light is on, TV works for over the air signals and if not on, you won't pick anything up. This is pretty much the same for ALL trailers.

[Jacksonrc]

The antenna has a powered booster. There will be a coax connector near where your TV is supposed to mount or sit and there will be a little button in that area that when pushed, causes a green light to come on. This is the power to the small inline amp for your antenna which is buried somewhere you can't see. If the light is on, TV works for over the air signals and if not on, you won't pick anything up. This is pretty much the same for ALL trailers.

I posted a photo of the coax connector where the tv is supposed to mount. Nothing there.

[wiredgeorge]

Okay, I have looked in every cupboard and on every wall. I pulled the wall plate off of the connection in the old entertainment center found it had a line running to the “in” side of the splitter and two lines running from the “out”.....so effectively a splitter to join two signals together??? Never seen this before. Anyways, those two wires go into the ceiling.

The wall plate in the bedroom has one wire disapearing into the ceiling.

Thoughts?


The splitter input connects to the Cable TV connector on the outside of the trailer and splits the signal into TWO lines; one going to your entertainment center and the other the bedroom (most likely). Near the cable tv OUT in the entertainment center is a plate with a little tiny button that lights a green LED to indicate the booster amp is on. The booster amp needs to be on to get over the air programming It comes from the antenna and the booster amp is hidden somewhere between the over the air tv antenna and the plate with the button and you likely won't find it. If the button is ON, you can get OTA tv signals from the antenna and if it is NOT ON, you can get signals through from the cable tv connector on the back of your trailer.

[JRTJH]

The Laredo 32RS is not a current model, I'd suspect that the OP bought this RV used, either from a dealership or from an individual. If it was purchased from a dealership, they may have some history of previous modifications. If purchased from an individual, I'd suggest contacting him to ask if any mods were done to the TV antenna/cable/satellite system.

It's very possible that the previous owner had issues with cable TV input, the cable serviceman "fixed it" so the cable will work by disabling the OTA system. In any RV that's been previously owned, there's no telling what may (or may not) have been done. Just look through the forum and you'll get an idea of what owners do to their RV's that make them "entirely not what the factory delivered".... This may be the situation here. If so, then the OP may never find what was removed 5 years ago, tossed in the trash by the previous owner and he forgot to mention that when the OP bought the trailer.

I'd first try to determine if the trailer is OEM or if things don't look like they should because of a previous modification.

[Jacksonrc]

The Laredo 32RS is not a current model, I'd suspect that the OP bought this RV used, either from a dealership or from an individual. If it was purchased from a dealership, they may have some history of previous modifications. If purchased from an individual, I'd suggest contacting him to ask if any mods were done to the TV antenna/cable/satellite system.

It's very possible that the previous owner had issues with cable TV input, the cable serviceman "fixed it" so the cable will work by disabling the OTA system. In any RV that's been previously owned, there's no telling what may (or may not) have been done. Just look through the forum and you'll get an idea of what owners do to their RV's that make them "entirely not what the factory delivered".... This may be the situation here. If so, then the OP may never find what was removed 5 years ago, tossed in the trash by the previous owner and he forgot to mention that when the OP bought the trailer.

I'd first try to determine if the trailer is OEM or if things don't look like they should because of a previous modification.

Okay, so! I borrowed a good old continuity tester and a very long coax cable. I tested continuity on the cable input and in between each wall jack, same thing with the satellite prep. Nothing. Sigh.

Climbed up on the roof, unhooked the old antenna and did the same there. Don’t ya know. The antenna goes directly to the tv jacks in the bedroom and the entertainment center.

Where would they have disconnected the. Old wiring? Where is it now?

The hint continues.

[wiredgeorge]

Don't know your trailer's floorplan; that is, where the main TV set goes but in our trailer, had no satellite input as my trailer is a 2002 and pre-tech I guess. I put a pass through connector right outside our entertainment center cabinet and that was that. I generally set my sat dish on my slide out roof and only need a few feed of coax to get to the pass through. I do have a "cable TV" jack on the outside toward the rear on the driver side and can't recall if we have tried it. Not many CATV equipped camp grounds where we camp but if I needed to use it and it didn't work, I would put another pass through connector right next to my sat input connector. Takes only a few minutes.

[Wyldfire]

Did the same in our bedroom for the second TV and receiver.

[RoscoeV]

The people installing your satellite and internet will usually run new cable and connections for you as part of the install. Most times they would prefer to use new cable because they don't want to deal with cables that may have splitters and staples in them.

[Jacksonrc]

So, the satellite guy showed up....said he had to run a new line through the gap in the slide in no matter what because of CRTC (Canadian government) standards.

All that effort for nothing.

[JRTJH]

So, the satellite guy showed up....said he had to run a new line through the gap in the slide in no matter what because of CRTC (Canadian government) standards.
All that effort for nothing.

I'm not in Canada and don't know the "in's and out's" of Canadian standards, but I can assure you that the OEM satellite cable was not "run through the gap in the slide".... So, I'd question that "expert's" interpretation of the CRTC and whether he took the easy way out or met the standard as it was intended to be interpreted......

[Jacksonrc]

I'm not in Canada and don't know the "in's and out's" of Canadian standards, but I can assure you that the OEM satellite cable was not "run through the gap in the slide".... So, I'd question that "expert's" interpretation of the CRTC and whether he took the easy way out or met the standard as it was intended to be interpreted......

Well, it works. They tester the quality of the signal with the cable and sat prep hookups. There was too much signal degredation

[BadmanRick]

If you have a sat prep hookup that should be a direct coax to the main TV area. The roof antenna connects direct to both tv,s via a splitter. Each of the wall connectors which have a 12v socket, a small button and led. They have a booster built into the plate with one coax connector on it. If you have an outside CABLE coax connector it also connects to the back of the wall connector. If you find the brand and instructions you will see that when you push the button it turns on the booster and connects to the roof antenna. When you release the button the led goes off and you are connected direct to the cable coax. Cable usually has a boosted signal direct from the cable connection. Most original cable/antenna connections are not the highest quality and deteriorate over time.
The satellite uses a high quality coax because the signal are lower than cable. The satellite box takes the satellite antennas signal and boosts it to the proper signal strength for the tv tuner.
If your installer found the satellite prep coax and checked the signal strength and found it too low then it is correct for him to upgrade the coax.
Does your satellite box have a built in over the air switch or is it automatic? Can you still use the roof antenna? Or did the installer bypass the roof antenna altogether?
Would be nice to have over the air tv if the satellite goes down.
Hope this helps.

[terrythetech]

Hello.
I used to be a catv tech and own a 5th wheel Cougar. My splitter was incorporated into wall outlet in the bedroom. It also has 12 volt, direct wired, connection that will send power to the pre-amp that is built inside the rooftop antenna. I removed that wall plate and installed my own antenna power inserter and using a wall wart fed power to the roof top antenna/amp. I then installed an outboard splitter in the line coming from the antenna/ amp/ power inserter to feed the living room tv/fm radio. This was all for off-air tv. I would recommend putting in an a/b switch to be able to switch from satellite or flip the switch and off air from antenna would be available at your tv's.
Now that you are totally confused.

[Jacksonrc]

If you have a sat prep hookup that should be a direct coax to the main TV area. The roof antenna connects direct to both tv,s via a splitter. Each of the wall connectors which have a 12v socket, a small button and led. They have a booster built into the plate with one coax connector on it. If you have an outside CABLE coax connector it also connects to the back of the wall connector. If you find the brand and instructions you will see that when you push the button it turns on the booster and connects to the roof antenna. When you release the button the led goes off and you are connected direct to the cable coax. Cable usually has a boosted signal direct from the cable connection. Most original cable/antenna connections are not the highest quality and deteriorate over time.
The satellite uses a high quality coax because the signal are lower than cable. The satellite box takes the satellite antennas signal and boosts it to the proper signal strength for the tv tuner.
If your installer found the satellite prep coax and checked the signal strength and found it too low then it is correct for him to upgrade the coax.
Does your satellite box have a built in over the air switch or is it automatic? Can you still use the roof antenna? Or did the installer bypass the roof antenna altogether?
Would be nice to have over the air tv if the satellite goes down.
Hope this helps.
Hi all.

I have checked this RV high and low. I haven’t found a wall plate with a 12V plug, hasn’t found a wall plate with a switch or any led.

I found one splitter in the main tv area...all with orange coax cables connecting to it.

I took the plates off of the back of the RV where the cable hookup and sat prep hookups are....the coax cables are black.

So logic tells me that there is a splitter or something that I haven’t found yet.

I won’t give up. Lol.